S H E W H O F O U N D G R A C E
In this new developing series I employ multimedia canons to visually chronicle my journey to “radical acceptance of death.” Enlisting a scientific and academic approach, I embark on this cathartic endeavor by adopting ideologies from renowned theologians, philosophers, and contemporary artists pursuing healthy dialogues that attempt to shift society’s adverse perception of death.
After two years of laborious subsequent hypothesis, I was astonished to deduce that although end of life is inevitable, in actuality multiple components of my body are slowly dying the longer I live! This innovative revelation commenced an intimate self-healing process and a shift of my artistic practices - thus further arousing my ongoing intrigue concerning self-portraiture. Unlike conventional portraits however, in this project I integrate abstract trends in art (using macro optics) to illustrate brazen images of my naked body – often in states of extreme grotesque – that document my physical transition organically produced by the aging process. Working against the male dominated history of idealized nude portraits of women, these images denounce marginalized dialogues about body shame and death. The playful pastel color schemes serve as a metaphor aimed to ease spectators’ psychological tensions (a method used in Eastern cultures), potentially manifested by their subjective perceptions of “beauty” as they confront a physique amplified with imperfections. To achieve a visceral response for public viewing during exhibitions, I incorporate the use of a stereoscope device, which takes two photographs, adhered side-by-side, of the same object taken at slightly different angles and are viewed together -creating an impression of depth and solidity. The images inside the stereoscopic depict original family portraits of me as the main subject beginning from three months of age to present.
I once dated a man who said he broke-up with a wonderful woman after making love to her because he was shocked by her stretch marks. He resented himself deeply and wondered had "The Media" supplied the public with visuals of such natural female components (such as stretch marks), he may not have been so superficially bias. I couldn't help but perfusely concur. And perhaps my original objective for this series, which is to defame that precise machismo rejection towards the authentic female forms, is too ambitious. At the very least, my objective is to commence dialogues that minimize the stigma towards body shame and death that also include genuine societal appreciation for the elderly community that the public has ghastly ignore and neglect.
"...only the young bring anything new. And they don't stay young for long."
-William S. Burroughs
